Overseas students heading back to Australia, says International Education Advisory Council report

INTERNATIONAL students are falling back in love with Australia, after snubbing study here over the past few years, a new report says.

Jessica Marszalek

News Corp Australia NetworkFebruary 27, 201312:27pm

Adelaide's newest university hopes to attract hundreds of Spanish and Latin American students.Source:News Limited

INTERNATIONAL students are falling back in love with Australia, after snubbing study here over the past few years.

The country will host 520,000 international students by 2020, up from the 402,000 here now, a new International Education Advisory Council report predicts.

About 80 per cent will be from Asia and they'll pour $19.1 billion into the economy.

But the 30 per cent increase still won't reach the heady heights of 2009, when 630,700 opened their textbooks across Australia.

Tertiary Minister Chris Bowen said interest in studying here was already up, with an increase in higher education visas applicants in the last six months of 2012.

Actual student numbers are predicted to rise next year.

Released by Mr Bowen at a Universities Australia conference in Canberra, the report foresees a "new era of sustainable international education growth'' after the "unsustainable increases'' in the VET sector between 2006 and 2009.

Those years saw a massive 65 per cent increase in numbers, but were followed by concerns over student safety in Sydney and Melbourne and the surging Australian dollar.

Mr Bowen said study quality, student welfare and work opportunities had been addressed since then.

He predicted "a range of challenges ... in relation to infrastructure and access to services from an increase in international student numbers'', but said maintaining quality would be critical as the government worked on a five-year plan.

The report makes 35 recommendations, like addressing affordable student accommodation and more opportunities for work experience.

It warns of massive worldwide competition for international students and that Australia is hampered by its strong dollar.